As this year’s Oscar nominations were announced this morning, I turned to my boyfriend and mentioned that “Sinners” scored 16 nominations, making history. He jokingly remarked, “Woke is back.” While he was just being playful (please don’t come for him!), his comment underscores a real divide. Last year, despite comments from former President Donald Trump and others about the dangers of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), several major cultural breakthroughs—like “Sinners,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Heated Rivalry,” and “One Battle After Another”—all reflected diversity in fresh, meaningful ways. And they truly thrived. These projects weren’t just popular among liberal audiences or critics; they became genuine cultural phenomena.
“Sinners,” a horror film set in the Jim Crow South, creatively uses vampires to delve into issues like systemic racism and cultural appropriation—and director Ryan Coogler made headlines with his Warner Bros. deal that grants him rights to the film after 25 years. “KPop Demon Hunters,” from a female Korean-Canadian director who waited over ten years to helm her first feature, emphasized authenticity and successfully brought the massive K-pop subculture further into the mainstream. “Heated Rivalry,” a smaller Canadian series picked up by HBO, took a bold approach to hockey, telling a poignant love story between two closeted pro players. Meanwhile, “One Battle After Another” faced criticism from some conservative commentators who felt it glorified left-wing violence, yet it offered nuanced perspectives on motherhood and activism, while also critiquing figures like Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in a satirical light.
In a time when the White House was issuing multiple executive orders to eliminate DEI programs in federal agencies, the success of these projects felt like a pushback. Corporate media echoed Trump’s perspective, with major players like Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon, Paramount Global, and Disney reportedly pulling back on diversity initiatives. Skydance, founded by David Ellison, the son of a billionaire Trump supporter, acquired Paramount and briefly sidelined Jimmy Kimmel due to a joke about Charlie Kirk supporters, even revamping CBS News with a more conservative stance. Simultaneously, shows that catered to conservative audiences—featuring farmers, MAGA supporters, cowboys, and Christian values—were getting greenlit and promoted.
“There is a sentiment from this administration that only the stories of straight white men matter, and that’s simply not true,” says Jenni Werner, the executive artistic director of the New Harmony Project, which develops theater, film, and TV projects committed to anti-oppressive and anti-racist values. “Audiences want to be transformed. Whether it’s in your home or a theater, you want to watch something that takes you somewhere new and perhaps shifts your perspective.”
She remains hopeful that artists will continue to create “boundary-pushing work,” even as the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Even before Trump’s second term, getting unconventional stories produced in Hollywood has been tough. According to UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report released in December, nearly 80% of directors for theatrical films in 2024 were white, along with around 75% of lead actors.
The report points out this imbalance could lead to lost revenue, noting that BIPOC audiences were more likely to purchase tickets for films with casts that were over 20% BIPOC. “Sinners” grossed an impressive $368 million at the box office, securing its place in what The New York Times calls the “horror hall of fame.”
